Warhol (posthumously) makes millions

Two Andy Warhol masterpieces are expected to sell for more than $100 million combined when they go up for auction next month in New York.

Warhol’s “Coca-Cola (3)” will be auctioned at Christie’s on November 12, followed by his “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” on November 13 at Sotheby’s.

“Coca-Cola (3)”, a 1962 painting by the late artist, depicts a human-size Coca-Cola bottle, and is one of the artist’s most iconic images. The auction house estimates the painting, which has resided in the same private collection for almost two decades, will go for between $40 million and $60 million.

“At a time when international top collectors are looking for blue-chip masterpieces, nothing is more iconic …,” Brett Gorvy, a chairman at Christie’s, said in a press release.

“Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)”, part of Warhol’s vaunted “Death and Disaster” series, has been in a private collection since 1988 and has rarely been viewed in public. Sotheby’s puts its auction value as possibly more than $60 million.

Last year, Warhol, one of the pioneers of pop art, was one of the world’s top-selling artists, posthumously generating eight figures in sales.

“Silver Car Crash” will be on display in London on October 12 before it heads to auction. “Coca-Cola (3)” will be on display in London October 12-18 and in New York from November 8-12.

For more information on either piece go to Sotheby’s and/or Christie’s website.